Pseudo Sanctity
by star-stickies
Summary: Called a Saint, Dino is a doctor known to cure the incurable. However, he forever yearns for someone to see past this 'proclaimed' title. One day, a severely injured patient is admitted to the hospital who sees him as anything but saintly.  D18, AU.
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn.**

a/n: This is my second D18 fic, so forgive me if there's any out of character-ness. I'll try my best to update on time, but most of all, please try and enjoy it! Thanks in advance for reviewing, I really appreciate it.

* * *

Dino, the leading member of the Chiavarone family. His magnificent work and dedication is what has made him stand out from others. A famed Doctor, said to be able to cure those with 'incurable' diseases that no one else can. A famed Counsellor, said to be able to solve any problems one may encounter. Called a God, called a Holy Saint, however, his past is unknown as is the way he attained so much knowledge.

* * *

"_I'm sorry…uhn…I'm…I'm…sor…ry…"_

"…_it's okay…you must take this with you…my suffering is nothing compared to the future you will bring…it is… not… your fault…"_

"_I…couldn't save them again…I couldn't save…__**you **__of all people…what is this…? Blood stained hands and a corpse…I am…no doctor, no medic…I'm just…a cold-blooded murderer…"_

_

* * *

_

A certain blonde haired man sat on the chair, eyes closed, his head resting on his hand; dreaming.

"Doctor." There was no response from him.

"Doctor, wake up." He placed his hands on the sleeping man's shoulders and shook him lightly.

"Doctor Dino…!"

"Huh…wha…?" Dino jolted at the sudden booming voice. "Oh, it's you, Romario. Did you need help with something?" He rubbed his eyes and scratched his head, coming back from slumber.

"No, I'm here to inform you that the patient you operated on is awake and doing well. He and his family have requested a word with you, which is why I'm here."

"Ahh, I see. Which room was he in again?" Dino stood up and pulled his white doctor's coat over his shoulders, patting it down so it looked neat and tidy.

Looking down at the papers with the patient's details written on it, Romario calmly answered, "Sixth room on the third floor, Doctor."

"Mmkay. Thanks. There's no need to be so formal, you know. I told you you can just call me Dino." He turned his back to Romario, entering the elevator just down the hall.

Romario followed Dino to the elevator to see him off. "You're my superior; I'm obligated to call you that."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it." Dino replied just as the doors were closing, implying the conversation to be let go of and ended.

"Hn, room six, eh?" Dino paced himself down the corridor, the nurses and other doctors bowing as he walked by, signalling his position in the hospital. Though he didn't really like it, he was used to it. He'd tried explaining countless times to the staff that there was no need for it, but the attempt was so futile he decided he'd just get used to it.

"Three…four…five…six." Dino looked down, and took a deep breath in. It was going to be the same thing said again for him, he knew that, but he put a smile on his face and tried to look interested. He knocked on the door and heard a faint 'coming'.

_-click- _A woman had opened the door to the room. Presumably the patient's mother, Dino had thought to himself.

"Hello, it's nice to meet you," Dino shook the woman's hand, "I'm Dino, the Doctor who operated on your son. I heard you requested an audience with me?"

"Oh my…! Yes, yes, please come in." She held onto Dino's arm and pulled him into the room excitedly. "Take a seat."

Dino pulled up one of the chairs in the room and sat facing the woman who had also taken a seat. Before Dino could say anything, the woman grabbed his hands and started to talk as if she were being rushed.

"Thank you so much for saving my son! I cannot thank you enough for what you have done. When he was first diagnosed with the disease, I went to many doctors and they all told me it was incurable or there were no doctors in the area who were able to help him. I was about to give up hope, but then someone told me about you, who would be able to help him."

Dino let out a shy chuckle. "You're very welcome, ma'am. It's an honour to be able to help you and bring a smile to your face."

"I'd heard many rumours about you being the most skilled doctor in the world, who was able to save any patient from death and cure incurable diseases. And now, you have created a miracle for me and my son, you are truly the God of doctors. A Holy Saint."

He forced out a smile. "Thank you for such kind words, ma'am. Though I create no miracles, it is a credit I do not take for granted that you think so highly of me." Dino looked down at his watch. "Ah, I'm very sorry, but I must leave for my next appointment now. It was a pleasure to meet you and I'm sure things will go well for you and your son."

"Oh, I'm so sorry to have inconvenienced you, Doctor. It was a pleasure to meet you too. You will always be a God to me who saved my son's life." Dino waved good-bye and left the room.

Closing the door, he let out a long sigh. "A 'God' this time, eh? It just gets worse…" He proceeded to walk up the hospital stairs and up to his office. "I feel bad for lying to her and telling her I had an appointment, but… I'm really not in the mood for that kind of praise." He slowed to a halt and walked back a few steps.

"Oops. Almost walked past my own office…" He opened the door and locked it. Dino took his jacket off and slung it on the back of the chair. In a glum mood, he sat down at his desk and placed his hand over his face, closing his eyes.

"Always the same, same thing…they don't get it at all…"

* * *

"_Doctor, you're a Saint!" The patient beamed and smiled at Dino._

_Dino waved his hands "No, no, not really."_

"_No, actually, you must be a God, you can perform miracles."_

"_Haha, I'm not a God. I don't perform miracles; I make operations to help people."_

"_I'm sure you are. Over and over again, you've saved so many lives. How can anyone ever thank you enough? Because of you, I'm sure many people will stop dying."_

"_I'd like to think that…" He frowned, but then diverted his attention to something else. "Well, you should be getting some rest now to ensure you get well quickly."_

"_Sure. Thank you Doctor. I'm indebted to you."_

_Dino exited the patient's room and hung his head down. _

"_Why the long face, Doctor?" It was Romario._

"_Oh, nothing much, really." He forced onto his face a content and cheery look to persuade his trusted assistant to believe his words._

"_Doctor, please do tell me if something is the matter. I've known you since you were a child, I think I can tell if there's something on your mind."_

"_Really now, Romario. You worry too much; I'm an adult now. I'm just a little tired and in need of some rest." He began to make his way to the break room, Romario following behind._

"_Well, if you insist that that's the real problem, Doctor. By the way, don't you think it's nice you're considered a Holy Saint and a God to your patients? It's so pleasing to see you've become such a great Doctor through all your early hardships and have earned so much respect. It's really not an easy achievement; for someone to regard someone else their saviour." Romario seemed rather happy over Dino's 'mighty' title. Dino himself, on the other hand, thought otherwise._

"_Romario,"_

"_Hm?"_

"_I'm not a blessing to the world. You should know better than that."_

_

* * *

_

"I'm a living human being like them too… can they not they understand I'm not a God or a Saint? Even my assistant cannot see… _-sigh- _ I don't make miracles, I don't cure incurable diseases, I don't do any of that. I wish someone would just acknowledge me not as a Saint, or a God, nor a famed Doctor, but just me. Am I really in their minds that deviated from a human?" Dino laid his head and arms on his desk.

"In reality, I haven't saved anyone at all…I shouldn't even be called a doctor, let alone a saviour or anything more…my hands are stained with the blood of so many things. But then again, they don't know that…Romario seems ignorant of it, but, it's probably better no one shall ever know than for one to find out…" Just when Dino was about to fall asleep deep in thought, he heard his phone ring.

Obligated, but not wanting, he picked it up. "Hello? Dino here, who's speaking?"

"Doctor! We need your help quickly; a patient just came in and his condition is critical! Please hurry, Doctor. We are in the operation room on the second floor."

"Got it. Moving as quickly as I can." Dino slammed the phone down and made his way down to the operation room.

Various thoughts of all sorts of things rushed into his head while he was making his way down. _'Why are you even helping? If you don't want to be called a Saint, a God, then why don't you just let them die? Why don't you say their condition is too bad and it's better to write them off as dead?'_

Dino gritted his teeth and softly spoke to himself. "Because I can't do that…it's wrong…" He ran as fast as he could.

"Doctor!"

"Romario! Where is he? The patient…!"

"Here…" Romario led Dino into the operation room, showing him the patient.

Dino studied the patient for a while to see how fatal the condition was. It was a young teen, around the age of 16. His jet black hair and pale skin was tainted with crimson blood. He was barely conscious. This would be a sticky situation. He had handled a patient like this before, a long time ago…


	2. Chapter 2

**I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn!**

a/n: I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far. Here is chapter 2, I hope to update again as quickly as I can. Again, reviews are not compulsory, but I really love them, and they are what really encourage me to write, so thanks in advance for anyone who drops in a review. So without anymore talking from me, have fun reading!

* * *

"Doctor… do you think you can do it?" Romario looked at Dino's worried face. He himself, was concerned, too. Dino usually had a calm demeanour, however in the face of this patient, he seemed to sweat and panic a little.

"I…I will be okay. Bring me the tools, Romario." Dino slipped on a pair of gloves and picked up a knife. "Here goes nothing…"

* * *

"_Dammit…why…why isn't it working?" Dino wiped the sweat off his face with a towel. _

"_Gotta try again…it has to work this time…" He took in a deep breath and swallowed, then followed through with the operation. "Romario, make sure his vitals are okay…"_

"_Yes, Doctor."_

_He tried the procedure again, with no avail. "No…at this rate, it's going to fail again…! I can't let this happen. I can't. I can't." Dino concentrated and pressed on with what he was doing._

"_Don't die yet please…" He looked at the patient, alive by a thread. "I don't like this…his life in __**my **__hands…but it can't be helped. I'm…a medic, so…I gotta save him because no one else will help a man with injuries like him…they would…write him off as dead…" He panicked. The thought of death daunted him yet again._

_Romario reassured him. "It's okay, Doctor. You can save him. I'm right here; tell me what you need." _

_At that moment, Dino had an idea. "Hang on a sec…if I do this…but there's a chance that…no, there's no time to waste…this is it. I need to help him fast…" He treated the patient, using a method which was unheard of. "Yes, almost there…!" A brimming hope filled Dino up, he was sure he would be able to succeed. _

"_Okay, Romario, there's one last step and I need that…" He looked over at Romario, who paused._

"_Doctor…"_

_Dino's heart sank. Something wasn't right. "…that…tool over there we used before…Romario…? Please get it for me it quickly…" The flickering light of hope Dino had not too long ago felt like it was rapidly dying out inside him._

"_Doctor…please reconsider…" Romario closed his eyes and looked down at the floor._

_Dino turned over to look at the patient. Lifeless, it was too late. He was gone. Dino pretended he knew nothing. "…Romario…why aren't you obeying me…? Please bring me the tool…" Tears rolled down his cheeks._

"_Please Doctor…it's too late…he's…"_

"_It's…it's not too late…it's never too late, right? You told me, I'd be able to save him…" Dino felt his heart sink deeper and deeper into the depths of regret and darkness._

"_He is beyond us now, Doctor…it's not your fault, you did your part…"_

_Dino grew silent. He didn't want to believe anything. Not reality, not Romario, and most of all, not himself. He looked at his hands; bloodied, dirtied. To Dino, there was not a fragment of purity he could see on himself anywhere._

"_Romario…don't kid me…you say I did my part, did you…? Well…the only part I did was murder him. You saw me didn't you…haha…I…I… killed him…aha…ha…" He picked up a knife from the table. "Murderers like me shouldn't deserve to live…because they will only keep repeating their mistakes…"_

"_Doctor!" Romario took hold of Dino and yanked the knife out of his hand, cutting himself in the process but not caring. "Get a hold of yourself, Dino! None of this is any of your fault!"_

"…_you weren't the one that did the operation. You were the one who was telling me lies that I would be able to save him! You know nothing! Let me go…!"_

"_Dino! No one else would even bother to turn to this patient and look at him. No one else would've come close to even saving him yet keep him alive for the time you did. You cared, you tried…if you want to save something, you must give something up."_

"_He gave up his life for nothing, then! Because of me, I couldn't save him and he paid the price with his life…"_

"_That's not what I mean. Future patients like him can now be saved because he…paid the price…"_

"_Future…I don't know about that…I don't even…know if I'm a doctor, more or less the future me being a doctor…I'm more like a heartless killer…"_

"…" _Romario was at a loss for words. _

_Dino clenched his fists and shut his eyes. He took a moment to cool his head and accept the situation before going on._

"_Romario, I declare this operation a failed completion. Please end it." Dino took one last look at the patient. "May he rest in peace…" _

"…_understood."_

_

* * *

_

The operation had been going for a few hours. There was no word of how it was going.

"Do you think he'll be able to make it?" A nurse outside the room asked to one of her friends.

"I don't know, he was in critical condition. At the last hospital I worked at people like that would usually just be written off as dead…" The other replied.

"Ahh…well, the Doctor is very amazing, but even I thought the patient was gone too far."

"But you never know, he has cured many people who would've died long ago without his help. I'm not really religious or anything, but he really does seem like a Saint sometimes."

"Yeah. I think the patient will come out fine, now that we talk about it. He has created many 'miracles'. It's like he's not human sometimes."

"Do you two ladies have the documents I requested for?" Romario broke their conversation.

"Ah, yes, I do, sir," She handed Romario a few papers, "this is all I could gather for this patient. There isn't much about him."

He flicked through the pages. "I see. Thank you."

"Um, sir, if I may ask, how is the patient doing?" The other nurse asked Romario before he had a chance to leave.

"He's stable."

The two nurses looked at each other, and a 'told you it'd be okay' was heard.

"I better deliver these documents to the Doctor…" Romario thought to himself. As he made his way up to Dino's office, whispers could be heard throughout the hospital about how Dino was able to save another patient from 'certain death' again.

"Here it is." He knocked on the door. Silence ensued. "Doctor?" He knocked again. Again, there was no response.

"Guess I'll have to resort to using this…" Romario placed his hands in the pockets on his pants and searched through it. "Ah, here it is." It was a spare key to Dino's office.

_-click-_ Opening the door, it revealed the blonde haired man. Head on his desk, his arms serving as a cushion for his head. Romario chuckled. "That silly boy…"

He tapped Dino's shoulder. "Wake up!"

"Waaaahh~!" Dino jerked his head up. "Romario-! Why must you always wake me up when I'm having a good nap?"

"You can nap later. First, these are the patient's documents." Romario handed over the few sheets to Dino. Dino stared blankly at them.

"Huh? Where are the rest of the sheets?"

"That's all there is. The nurses said that this was all they were able to find."

"Hm, I see. Is that it? Can I nap after I analyse these?"

"Be my guest."

* * *

"_-yawns-_ That was a good nap. I might get a cup of coffee or something." Dino stretched his arms out and exited his office, setting his destination for the kitchen.

"No! You mustn't get up yet! Please lie back down!" Dino turned his head to look around for where the scream came out of. After locating it, he ran over to see what the problem was.

"What is all this ruckus about?" He wrenched the door open to see that an ill patient was trying to get from their bed, while threatening the nurse.

"Doctor! He…he won't listen to me…" The nurse scrambled a little further away from the scene and let Dino take over.

"What are you doing?" Dino took hold of the young teen carefully and tried to place him back to where he should be lying down at. "You can't get up yet, you're going to hurt yourself."

The patient protested and struggled. "Get out of my way. If you don't, I'm going to have to beat you up in fight."

"You are in no position to be saying or doing that. Please at least sit down or I'm going to have to sedate you."

"Never." The patient struggled to get up again. "I'm going to kill you…" He stumbled. He was much too weak to be doing what he was doing.

Dino wasn't sure how to handle this patient. He was unwilling to listen to him by all costs. At this point, Dino decided that the best way to treat him was to try and be on the same wavelength as him.

"Save the killing for later. At this rate, the only one that's going to die is you."

"Hmph." The patient backed down and got back in his bed. "Whatever…" Very soon, he fell asleep.

"I'm sorry about that," Dino apologised to the nurse, "from now on, leave the handling of this patient to me."

"Y-yes, Doctor." She bowed and left the room.

"Geeze, so early in the morning and already so much trouble." Dino spotted the name tag of the patient in the room. "Hm, that's right. I was so fixed at calming him down I didn't even check who this was or if he had a record of this behaviour."

"Kyouya Hibari. Huh? Isn't this the patient I operated on yesterday? How could he have gotten up so quickly…"


	3. Chapter 3

**I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn!**

a/n: So here we progress onwards to Hibari's meeting with Dino. I hope you can all enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thankfully, I've been updating on time, too. So enough chit-chat, I'll let you dig into this chapter. Thanks in advance for any reviews; I love them very much!

* * *

A week had passed since Dino's first meeting with Kyouya Hibari. Hibari had been able to recover at an amazing rate. However, still far from being able to be dismissed from hospital, he was usually sleeping, dormant, and when he did wake up, things were mostly a blur to him.

"Hmm…yep…that's fine…" Dino was doing a daily check-up on his patient. "…that's normal, too...and this too…" He took notes on his clipboard, so he would be able to monitor Hibari's progress easily later on by looking at the days he'd recorded previously.

"Hey, you." Dino felt a hand tug at his coat.

"Hm?" He looked down past his clipboard. Much to his surprise, Hibari had woken up and was speaking to him. "Ah, you're awake. Did you need something?"

Dino had forgotten about their last encounter. "No. Are you the one?"

"Huh? Am I the what?" Dino was confused. He hadn't a clue what the young man was talking about.

"Don't play dumb with me." Hibari shot Dino what seemed to be a menacing glare.

"I'm sorry, I really don't know what you're talking about." Puzzled, the older man crouched down so his head was level with his patient's, hoping that if he paid more attention to Hibari then maybe he would explain what he was talking about to him.

An annoyed look on his face, he elaborated. "Are you the doctor that put me here?"

"If you mean the doctor who operated on you, then yes, that's me." Dino's mood became somewhat sombre after saying what he did. After all, this would probably be another patient of the same, commenting on Dino as if he were a special sort of creature to be exalted.

"Why did you save me?"

"What do you mean? I'm doctor, you were in critical condition, no one else could have saved your life, but of course I wanted to. It's my job."

"Oh, I see." Hibari smirked for a split second. After the smirk, however, he put a straight dead serious expression on his face. He paused and stared at Dino. "Go to hell."

"Huh?" Dino was taken aback. "What was that for?"

"Who and what do you think you are? A Holy Saint? Don't make me laugh. I'd rather die than be saved by the likes of a blinded fool like you."

Dino was captivated by Hibari's words. How long had he waited for those words to come to him? That he wasn't a Saint? He increasingly became more interested in Hibari, a desire to want to know what more he had to say.

Dino forced a smile. "So I get called a Saint, doesn't mean I am one. Who am I, you ask? I'm just your regular doc. No, I'm just another living being."

"Don't misunderstand me. You and I are the same. We're human. I don't know what's gotten into your head; perhaps it's the fact that that title of yours has overwhelmed you and you've lost sight of who you really are, and what you really want."

"Interesting. Now where are you getting at with those words of yours?" He remained calm. It seemed the raven haired boy knew what he was talking about. Dino was eager to hear his reasoning for talking to him in such a manner he'd never experienced before.

"Are you really that stupid? I don't believe it. You know what I'm talking about, don't you?" Hibari kept the stern look on his face, making sure Dino was taking him seriously.

"Perhaps. But maybe I'd understand what you're talking about even better if you explained to me."

Hibari paused for a minute. He wondered if talking to Dino was even worth his time. He decided to continue, however, since maybe he'd be able to have some fun from it, and he'd already stuck his head into the situation. Hibari changed his tone of voice, hoping to try and intimidate the doctor.

"So then, why do you accept being called a Saint when you know you aren't one? Why do you insist on 'saving' people's lives? For gratitude? To protect your title? Just because you're a doctor don't think you can pull the strings on someone's life and control them."

"It's not like I ask them to call me a Saint. Even if I do tell them to stop they're not going to listen to me. People have their own rights to say what they want. And it's inhumane to let someone die; if they're not dead yet, I try my best to save their life."

"So you expect you'll be able to save everyone comes to you? You expect that if you go help someone they'll wake up enlightened by your presence?" Hibari felt irritated. There was something this man was making sure not to tell him.

Dino softened his voice. "I have no choice, letting anyone die is inhumane. I try, but I'm not expecting anything. I counsel people too, you know. I don't expect them to thank me. I don't want them to thank me. I don't expect I'm going to be able to help them at all. No one gets 'helped' by me. I can give advice, but whether they act upon it or not is their choice."

"You don't make sense. You don't expect anything yet you accept everything they call you. Stop making excuses in my face. If you don't want anything you can always choose to not accept it. Yet you talk as if there is no choice not to accept it. You're just not making it available to yourself. People like you make me sick."

Being interrogated so forcefully by Hibari, Dino panicked. Retaliating against Hibari's words while concealing the secrets within himself became increasingly harder. He was at a loss for words.

"What's this?" Hibari sneered. "Did I hurt your feelings? Or does the truth just hurt too much?"

"You're wrong."

"Oh? How so? I also hear you're able to cure anyone from any disease or bring anyone on the brink of death back to life."

"Eh, where did you hear that?" Dino was taken by surprise. Hadn't Hibari been sleeping for the past week?

"How do I know, you ask? Just because it looks like I'm sleeping it doesn't mean I can't hear what all your herbivores are saying around me."

"I guess I better be careful of where I talk to my subordinates next time…"

"Don't try to divert my attention from the topic." Hibari looked straight into Dino's eyes. "So, there must be some reason you're able to cure these incurable diseases. I'm surprised people have been ignorant enough to not pick up on it. You must've done something to get where you are."

"No, like I said before, I'm just your regular doctor." He swallowed. "There's nothing different about me."

"Don't lie to me. Right now, your lies are as transparent as if you were a ghost. What are you trying to hide?"

"I'm…I'm not hiding anything." Dino sweated.

"Do you really think you can convince me with a half-assed answer like that? Then think again. What have you done? Commit murder?"

Dino's eyes widened. "N-no…! I haven't done anything like that! Don't make such a presumptuous assumption…"

The blonde haired man felt as if his sanity was slowly going to slip away from him. A murderer. That is what he deemed himself as. He wished that people would not give him titles without knowing that was what he declared himself as, though at the same time, he was reluctant to openly raise this title on himself. Even so, having someone he barely knew consider the option that he was one was more painful than he thought. Nevertheless, he grew more interested in Hibari than ever.

"Hm, did I get it right? It's time for you to start admitting things, don't you think so?"

A deep and dark silence emerged. Dino hung his head down, his face and expression covered by his hair. There was nowhere to run to now. No more lying, no more protecting himself. Hibari was intelligent, and because Dino was aware of that, he decided it'd be time to stop beating around the bush and explain the truth. Regardless of if he told Hibari the truth or not, he was already walking on thin ice with every word that came out of his mouth. The boy was certainly capable of forcing the truth out of him either way.

Dino lifted his head up slightly, his eyes filled with sorrow as he grinned sarcastically to himself.

"You're right. I am a murderer. The hundreds of people who died in the past that were written off as incurable…I killed them all."


	4. Chapter 4

**I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn!**

a/n: Thanks for waiting, here is the yet the next chapter of Pseudo Sanctity. Sit tight guys, this is going to be a much longer chapter than. For that, I'm sorry for those who don't like reading too much at a time. Well, here it is, so I better let you read it without me talking on too much. Reviews are love, they make my day and encourage me to write more/faster, so thanks to all those who do so. Looking forward to seeing you all in the next chapter again. 3

* * *

"I figured as much." Hibari looked down at the doctor, showing no sympathy.

Dino placed his palm on his head and let out a deep, long sigh before continuing. "A long time ago, I watched my predecessor. He…saved a lot of people."

Hibari kept silent, but made sure to keep a slight focus on the man to let him know he was listening.

"I would tell him that I wanted to be a doctor, too. But of course, I didn't know a thing back then."

* * *

"_You're amazing! When I grow up, I want to be a doctor like you who saves the lives of lots of people, too." A young Dino smiled happily at the current head of the Chiavarone family. _

"_Nah. I'm not as cool as you think." He placed his hand on Dino's head and messed his hair up. "You don't want to be like me. There are lots of other better things out there to be." He smiled sadly._

"_Huh? But why?" Dino was confused. He wasn't sure why the 9th Generation boss seemed so solemn all of a sudden. _

"_Someone with such a pure and innocent heart like you is better suited for the better half of this world…" At that time, those words seemed to fly right over Dino's head. Being a doctor couldn't be as bad as Dino thought, could it?_

"_Hey, teach me some doctor skills sometime, okay?" The young Chiavarone grinned and ran off._

"_Haha," The 9th Generation boss laughed to himself, "he doesn't listen, does he? Well, I guess if he has such a passion to be one, there's no harm in teaching him a few skills and leading him over to the 'brighter' path…"_

* * *

"The 9th Generation Chiavarone always told me that there were many better things to be other than a doctor. I never listened to him, though, since I looked up to him and had my eyes set on what he did." Dino lowered his voice a little and seemed to ponder a while.

"Go on. I don't have all day."

Hearing Hibari's sharp remark, Dino quickly snapped back to reality.

"Ah, sorry about that." Dino stood up and sat on the side of Hibari's bed, rather than crouching down. "At first, he taught me a few simple skills. First aid procedures and some 'textbook' teachings of a few surgery techniques. I had never actually performed any of it in a real life situation before, though."

Dino swallowed. "However, there did arise a situation where I put the skills he taught me to use for the first time."

* * *

"_It's an emergency!" A member of the Chiavarone family slammed opened the doors, agitated. "We need to get out of here! The enemy's got us in his sights!" _

_Romario jolted up. "What? Didn't the Boss and some men go out to take care of them?"_

"_Yes, but, one of them managed to escape somehow. It's not safe here anymore. We need to go hide out for a little while." He looked over to Dino, who was slightly frightened, then back to Romario. "Please, you must keep the young successor safe. The other men should have evacuated to various places by now; the Boss asked me to take the young successor to a certain place. Please follow me, we must get there as fast as we can." _

_Dino was sitting on the floor, somewhat stunned. He had been taught the world was not a nice place, not a safe place. He knew that unwanted situations would come to him whether he liked it or not. Being his first time, though, his body reacted in a way his brain did not order. He was shaken, unable to move. _

_Romario pulled Dino up. "Let's go, Dino. We don't have time, we need to run."_

"_O-okay…!" Dino scrambled to his feet, mustering up his courage to not look back and be strong. He ran alongside Romario and another member of the Chiavarone family, hoping things would turn out fine. _

"_Will…will he be okay?" The young boy looked up and asked Romario, while running. _

"_The Boss? Of course he's okay. He's a trained fighter and doctor. If anything, he'd be the one you should be worrying about the least."_

"_Yeah, I guess you're right…" He wondered how much more running there would be until they would be able to reach a safe base. _

"_We're almost there, guys, it shouldn't be mu- Ahrg!" The man took a sudden halt, and fell to the ground. _

"_Shit!" Romario drew out his gun and shot the unknown enemy, managing to kill him before he was able to get to Dino. "Darn bastard, that was really close…" He shot him a few more times to make sure he was dead._

"_Romario…you don't have to shoot so much…" Dino covered his ears, and looked at the dead body, blood profusely spilling from it. It was the first time he'd seen someone killed right in front of his eyes._

"_Dino, I don't have a choice. If I don't kill him, he's going to kill you. Or worse, all of us." He diverted his attention to the Chiavarone who was shot. "Are you okay?"_

"_Yeah, I'm fine…he missed my vitals, luckily. Just got a shot or two in my arm…uhg…" He clutched his arm, blood seeping through his clothes onto his hand. _

"_How much farther until the hideout? We can treat you there." _

_He glanced in a certain direction "Should be just up ahead…"_

"_Okay, let's move!" He grabbed Dino, who wasn't able to tear his eyes away from the corpse and dragged him along. Dino periodically looked back, as if the dead man was going to come and get him. Eventually, he was able to return his focus to getting to the hideout as quick as possible. _

_Soon enough, they were able to reach their destination. Romario scrambled around to find a first aid kit for the man who was shot. He was losing a lot of blood. Romario seemed to find the kit fairly quickly, however, he was unsure of how to treat the man properly. He took out various things in the kit, trying to make head and tail of what to do, a puzzled look on his face._

_Dino bit his lip. "…Romario, give me the kit."_

"_It's okay, I know what to do." Romario lied, he wasn't sure of what to do. He just wanted to keep the young boy from worrying. _

"…_No, you don't know what to do. Hurry, give me the kit." The man hesitated. Dino glared at Romario. "Romario, give me the kit! That's an order!" _

_Romario quickly passed the kit to Dino. He didn't know what Dino was planning, but he seemed to know what to do. He watched as Dino took the bandages and tied them around the man's arm in attempt to staunch the bleeding, and use other various techniques to deal with the wound successfully. There was no mistaking it. He was definitely the 9th generation's successor. The successor, of a famed doctor._

_

* * *

_

"We were under attack by an enemy group, and I was evacuated with Romario and another member of the Chiavarone family. On the way to the hideout, the man with us was shot in the arm. Romario wasn't really a medic back then, so he wasn't sure how to help him. The 9th Generation Chiavraone was at the front line and we had no contact with him. So using the skills he taught me, I saved the man from bleeding to death."

Hibari made a blunt statement. "And after that you became full of yourself because you saved one person?"

Dino ignored his seemingly rude comment, though he knew that in a way, what he said was true.

"After the attack was over and the family members regrouped, Romario reported to the 9th that I was able to save the life of the man who was with us. He praised me for being courageous and putting my skills to use. Foolishly, I asked if he could teach me more about being a doctor and saving lives. He thought for a while, then told me I could watch him perform surgeries on the condition that I would never use the skills I learnt from watching him in my life unless absolutely necessary. I agreed, not knowing what I was getting myself into."

Hibari reinstated his previous comment. "In other words, you became full of yourself."

"Kyouya, don't be rude. Save comments like that until after I finish." He turned his gaze to Hibari, making sure he was silent and wasn't going to say anything else before he continued.

"He had to fly overseas one day. While he was away, there was a war outbreak between two other families. The Chiavarone family was ordered by the 9th to aid the injured and he specifically told me to let the regular doctors and nurses take care of patients and for me to not perform any surgery on anyone if I didn't have to. At that point, I was mad at him for the first time. I yelled at him over the phone and asked why I couldn't help people. His reply was all too true…"

* * *

"_What do you mean I can't help anyone? How can you expect me to just stand by and watch as people die?" Dino yelled into the phone with distaste at the 9th Generation Chiavarone's orders for him._

"_You don't understand. Stay put and do not do anything unless absolutely necessary." _

"_Don't give me that crap again! Maybe you can watch people die, but I can't. I've got to do something about this. So many people are being taken in as not being able to be saved, but I know I can save them. I watched you save people in even worse condition!"_

_The 9th Generation boss paused. He decided that at this point, he shouldn't hide anything else from Dino. But it wasn't something he could explain, the only way for him to learn was firsthand experience. He had wished it would never come to this, but it was inevitable. _

"_Fine. Have it your way. Go ahead and become a 'Saint'. Go ahead and try to treat all those people with your 'skills'. But never, ever, expect that you can save anyone." _

"_What…? What do you me- Hey! Answer me…!"_

"_-tooooot-" The 9th Generation Chiavarone had hung up. Dino was confused by what the 9th had told him. Nevertheless, now having permission from the family head, he went to the 'aid' of the 'untreatable' patients expecting that he should be able to save them. _

_Little did he know, that the names, faces and lives of countless people would be etched into his memories that night…as the people he murdered._

_

* * *

_

"When I finally yelled at him enough like an idiot to get permission from him to operate on patients, I learned the truth about what he told me from the beginning. I learned why he asked me not to be a doctor. I was so blinded that my skills would surely succeed like his that I didn't even think of such a consequence or how he'd been able to gain them. I tried to save many people, but I ended up killing them all. In the end, they wrote them all off as incurable. But I didn't give up, surely I could learn something from…killing so many people."

Dino's voice wavered a little. "But it wasn't until I couldn't save a certain someone that things began to change…

* * *

_A surprise attack had been launched on the Chiavarone family, causing immediate action to be taken against it. The head of the family had set out to find the heart of the problems, putting himself right in the thick of a quickly brewing clash. Dino had been ordered to stay back as a medic, despite having no desire whatsoever to operate at all. _

_Having trust in the 9th Generation Boss and the rest of the family, Dino refrained from going anywhere near medical equipment. A heavy-heart, he did not want to involve himself deeper in a world where he would see only death. _

_He knew the Chiavarone head was fierce and strong, and because of that he instinctively thought to himself that the 9th's plans would go accordingly with no trouble. He was proved to be very wrong indeed. _

"_Dino, we need your help now!" A Chiavarone family member grabbed Dino's shoulder, swivelling him around in a panic. He was sweating and his words seemed rushed._

"_You need to come with me now!" Gripping Dino's arm, he hurriedly dragged him along with him. _

"_What's going on? Where are you taking me?" Dino anchored his legs to the ground, stopping the man from pulling him. "If you're taking me to operate, I'm not going!"_

_Knowing that Dino would not willingly cooperate, the man had to use his wit to convince him. "I do not have time to stand idly by and discuss matters with you! If you would like to know what the problem is…I suggest you follow me now and I explain to you on the way."_

"_Tch…!" He quickly followed the man to the outskirts of the battlefield. "Hey, aren't you going to tell me what's going on?"_

_The family member remained silent, and slowed to a halt when he reached a nearby sector with supplies. It was a building which the Chiavarone were able to use as a hideout. People were rushing around frantically all over the building about something. Dino was pushed inside an operation room. He was a bit too far away to make out who it was, but he saw a severely injured man. He walked closer, hoping that he was not who he thought he was. _

_He now had the man clearly in his sights. Dino dropped to his knees. The person he thought he'd never have to see in this state was before his eyes. He tried to speak, but his words were broken, and audible only to himself. _

"_9th…ge…ne…ration…?"_

_The man readied all the operating equipment and placed a hand on Dino's shoulder. _

"_Please…save him if you can…"_

_Truthfully, Dino did not want to operate. But at the same time, he didn't want a person which he shared such a close bond with to die. Mustering up his courage, he started to operate on him. _

_A while into the operation, Dino could already see that his attempt to prolong a life had failed again. There was no way he could heal the 9th Generation's wounds fast enough. Even so, he didn't want to give up yet. _

_Words slipped from his mouth. "Dino…" _

"_Don't talk…I'm…going to save you…"_

"_It's okay; I'm prepared to die…please…let me tell you something…"_

_Dino clenched his fists and tried to stop the tears flowing out of his eyes. "…what…what do you need to tell me…?" _

"…_I'm sorry…for dragging you into this horrible medical world…"_

"_No…it's my fault things became like this…because I was so…ignorant and full of myself… I'm sorry…uhn…I'm…I'm…sor…ry…"_

_The 9th Generation boss let a weak, yet peaceful smile form on his lips. "… it's okay…you must take this with you… you are strong…my suffering is nothing compared to the future you will bring… it is… not… your fault…"_

"_No…no…nooooooo!"_

_Dino watched as the man breathed his last breath. He looked at the lifeless body of someone who was so important to him; he looked at his blood-stained hands. _

"_I…couldn't save them again…I couldn't save…__**you **__of all people…what is this…? Blood stained hands and a corpse…I am…no doctor, no medic…I'm just…a cold-blooded murderer…"_

_That was the day Dino raised onto himself the title of a murderer. He swore that if he let anyone else die after the incident, he would completely give up being who he was. However, the death of the Chiavarone boss had awaked his true skills. With the many deaths he made erased, he stepped back into the word of being a medic, and became who he is now._

_

* * *

_

"Another sudden attack had been launched onto the Chiavarone family base. My predecessor raced to the front line to try to resolve the problem, but ended up severely injured. I…I was asked to operate on him…and failed…"

Dino closed his eyes and tilted his head back, reminiscing about the past. "I promised myself that if I ever let anyone die after that, the whole concept of me being a doctor can just be forgotten about. Ironically, the people I started to operate on after that lived. My murderous history was kept a secret and…I've become who I am now."

He opened his eyes and made eye-contact with Hibari. "Well, go ahead and call me a fool and a murderer. You are correct. Thank you for seeing me as something…other than a Saint."

Hibari turned to look out the window. "Why are you thanking me? Thank me again when I have actually done something that calls for it, instead of me just seeing something obvious."

The doctor smiled. "Then, I will keep coming back until you will accept a 'thank you' from me."

As Dino left the room, Hibari grinned to himself. The irony.


	5. Chapter 5

**I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn!**

a/n: Sorry for taking a while for this new chapter! I've been busy lately, but things have cleared up a little more, so I should be back on task. Without further ado, please enjoy this chapter. Review if possible, they're great. : )

* * *

"Doctor, there's a change in schedule today. It's just a small one."

Romario handed Dino a sheet of paper which indicated to him where he'd have to be at what times, preferably, and a few important things to make sure not to forget. The doctor quickly scanned the page to see what the changes were. Noticing what was different, he looked up at Romario.

"Who's going to visit Kyouya and do the daily check-up for him? Can't you swap or replace this with that and leave the check-up in the same place?" Dino pointed to two different times which he'd preferred were replaced.

"I can't. It's a meeting. I tried to reschedule it so it wouldn't interfere with the regular timetable as much as possible, so I planned a few different ways, but they all clashed with other important things or other people's schedules. I know you're the head, but I'm afraid this is the best I can make it."

Dino's face clearly showed he wasn't content with the changes, but he politely held his tongue.

"Can't you just get a fill-in to take care of Hibari for the day? It's just a daily check-up, you can just get a nurse to do it."

Dino scratched his head. Unsatisfied, but coming to terms with it, he sighed. "Okay, I'll get someone to fill in for me and do his check-up."

"Doctor, it's not good to favour patients, you know."

This comment had taken Dino by surprise. "Huh? No, that's not it…! It's just that Kyouya can be…you know, difficult. So…yeah."

"Yeah, yeah, I believe you," Romario replied wryly, wanting to end the conversation quickly, "we should probably go to the meeting now."

"Uhh…sure." After hearing the remark, the doctor had all sorts of thoughts running through his mind. Why **was** he always so eager to see Hibari?

* * *

In the meantime, Hibari had woken up from his slumber. He looked at the clock in the room.

"_That irritating guy should be coming in here anytime soon." _

Ever since Dino told Hibari about his past, he came to visit him everyday. The young boy wasn't sure if he was just doing his job or coming to annoy him on purpose. He seemed to think it was the latter more often.

Looking out the window, he wondered when he'd finally be allowed to leave the hospital. He could leave by himself whenever he wanted, but he knew he'd probably end up back here. Before long, it occurred to the raven haired boy that he'd been looking out the window for a while. He looked up at the clock again and scorned. "He sure is late is today. If he doesn't come," Hibari yawned, "I'll just go back to sleep."

As he was about to lay his head back down on the pillow, the door flung open.

"Good morning! How are you today? I'm here to do your daily check-up~"

A young nurse walked into the room, holding a clipboard with the documents Dino usually came in with. Hibari stared at her, saying not a single word as he watched her walk closer. Already, he had developed a strong dislike for her.

She took a pen out, ready to record some results. "How do you feel today? Fine, tired? Not sick, I hope!"

Hibari continued to look at her with distaste.

"…You're annoying."

"Ehh? This a check-up, I have to ask things like that!"

"Could you not speak so loudly? It's irritating."

"Hmph! I'll continue on with something else then." She jotted a few things down on the pieces of paper and walked to the other side of the bed. "Could you lift your arm up for second, please?"

The teen was irate, and refused to listen to the nurse. He solidly kept his arm down and had no intention of moving it away for the nurse to continue the check-up. He liked the way Dino did things a lot better. The nurse, on the other hand, was deemed unqualified for the job by Hibari.

"Please lift your arm up so I can continue the check-up." She placed her hand on Hibari's wrist, attempting to shift it to the side.

Angered that she had the nerve to make contact with him, the boy reacted furiously, slapping the nurse's hand away. "Don't touch me!"

He hung his head down, "Where is Dino…" worked up, his breaths became louder and quicker, "Where is that man hiding like a coward so much so that he would send such a poor excuse for a nurse in to my room?"

Shocked, the nurse held the clipboard to her chest, and took steps back. "He's…he's busy at a meeting…I was just called in to do the check-up for you today!"

"Busy? Meeting? What kind of unacceptable excuse is that to send in some half-assed, unqualified nurse to do a check-up she can't even do?" He slammed his fist on the table beside his bed. "Get out! I don't want you here!"

"B-but your check-up…!"

"I don't need it! If it's that important then get that blonde-haired man here!"

"Y-yes…!" The nurse quickly scrambled out of the room, frightened at Hibari's temper. She had not heard bright comments about this patient.

Enraged, Hibari laid back down on the bed, throwing the sheets over himself. "Why did I even ask for that stupid doctor…check-up or no check-up, it's going to be the same." Hibari placed a hand on his head.

"Uhg…this bothersome sickness must be getting to me more than I think…my heart rate feels fast and I feel hot for some reason…"

* * *

It was around 7:00PM at night when Dino had gotten out of his meeting and finished his chores. Usually, he would retire to his office for the day to handle papers and sleep. However, he decided to take a swing by a certain someone's room tonight.

Reaching room number 18, he anxiously knocked on the door before slowly opening it. He peeked through the gap, hoping that he did not accidently wake a sleeping patient up; if this patient was even sleeping in the first place. Noticing the room was dimly lit, he walked in, glancing around the room for a figure.

"Heya."

Surprised, Dino quickly turned his head around, his eyes meeting with the other individual. His mood lit up. "Kyouya!"

There sitting on the side of the bed was the raven haired boy, a book in his hand, head up, staring at the doctor 'intensely'. Yet, the said doctor had learnt that his glares were nothing more than glances, his fierce look nothing more than an exterior shell.

He placed the book down on the bed, turning his full attention to the doctor. "You're late."

"I'm sorry. How did your check-up go?"

Hibari stared blankly at Dino's face for a few moments.

"I didn't get one."

"Ehh? Didn't someone come in today to do it for you?" Dino searched his coat pocket for his phone.

"She did. She was annoying."

The blonde doctor flipped open his phone, noticing several messages from Romario. Several minutes later, he hastily flipped down his phone and shoved it in his pocket, whispering angrily to himself.

"_Tch, this is why that meeting was at an inconvenient time…"_

Diverting his attention back to Hibari, he sat down beside him and spoke calmly.

"Why did you scare the nurse away? All the doctors and nurses here are only trying to help you."

Hibari flicked his head to the side with discontent. "She was unqualified for the job. She was obnoxiously loud and annoying. There was every reason for me to tell her to get out."

"Even so, she was just doing her job. You shouldn't say things like th-"

"I like it better when you come in the morning for the check-up."

"Kyouya…?" Dino's heart skipped a beat. He was somewhat puzzled as to why, but ignored it for the time being.

He looked over to the boy's face. Hibari quickly looked in another direction, purposely avoiding eye contact with the doctor.

"Don't get the wrong idea. You're just…better at doing the job. There's nothing more to it than that. I'm not stating I like you anymore than that stupid nurse that came in today." He slowly shifted his eyes to take a peek at Dino, who chuckled.

Hibari grimaced. "That's all!" He crossed his arms and turned his body away from Dino's.

"I know, I know," the blonde haired man looked at his watch, "it's late, but I'll do your check-up for you now, okay?"

"Do as you like." He laid himself down on the bed, his back facing Dino. He could hear the older man moving around the room recording things on pieces of paper. Occasionally, Hibari would glance over and see what he was doing. As much as he didn't want to admit that he was looking at the doctor, he was unable to tear his eyes away from him. This increasingly irritated the boy.

"Hey."

"Hm? Is something the matter?" Dino turned around and looked up from his papers, studying the boy's lean figure.

"Why are you always here?"

The doctor set his papers down and smirked. "Good question. Why **am** I always visiting you?"

He leaned closer to Hibari, who eyed him sternly. "Maybe I'm just doing my job," he inched closer with every word, "maybe I like you," his voice softened to a whisper in the raven haired boy's ear, "maybe I love you."

Dino watched as Hibari's face slightly coloured.

"What…are you saying?" In disbelief, he quickly shoved the blonde man away.

"Haha, I'm joking, I'm joking." Dino waved his palms in front of himself, convincing Hibari that those words of his didn't mean anything.

"Whatever. If you're done with the check-up you can get out now."

"Sure," the doctor picked his papers up and headed for the door. He turned around and winked before exiting, "I'll see you tomorrow."

Realising the time, he quickly walked back to his own office, locked the door and set himself down.

"This is bad…" he covered his face with his hands. "Of all people, I shouldn't be falling in love with Kyouya…he's my patient…I can't…I…I don't know if I can stop myself…"


	6. Chapter 6

**I don't own KHR!**

a/n: Sorry for the exceeding long time to update! I'm glad is back up and running, though. As the story progresses more, even I myself feel really excited writing some parts sometimes. I hope you can enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Hopefully the next chapter will be up promptly. Thank you for reading and hope to see you again in the next chapter

* * *

Hibari yawned and stretched his arms as he woke up from his nap. Still the same boring day in the hospital. What was he to do other than sleep? He wasn't even allowed to walk around to places other than his room because he was too 'weak' for that supposedly, even though he felt fine.

Just about to go back to sleep again, he heard someone rapping a stupid tune on the door. There was only one person he knew who would do such a ridiculous thing.

"Kyouya!" A certain blonde-haired man entered the room, a large grin on his face.

Hibari picked up the nearest object and threw it at his face. "What are you doing here?"

"Oww!" Dino fell to the floor and rubbed his face. "What do you mean what am I doing here? Of course I'm here to visit Kyouya."

The boy raised his eyebrow. "Visit me? Again? You're here everyday, you were here all last night, this morning, this afternoon and now you're here again! Do you find that much joy in deliberately coming here and annoying me whenever you have a second to spare?"

"Uhh…well…it's still early afternoon right now, and…"

Hibari raised another object and gestured that if he spoke anymore 'nonsense' he'd throw it. "That's not the point."

"W-wait! Hear me out, Kyouya!" The doctor quickly picked himself up off the floor and began to explain things, not wanting another object at his head. "I've got some good news for you today."

"If it's anything other than you out of my sight then it's not good news."

Ignoring the comment, Dino proceeded with what he was going to say. "Well, I was analysing some documents of the daily check-ups I do on you, and, you should be okay to walk around now. But you gotta take it…"

"Oh? I can move around wherever I want now?" The raven haired boy jumped out of his bed and threw open the door, a smug grin on his face.

"K-Kyouya-! You gotta take it slowly!" Not wanting Hibari to do anything rash and end up injuring himself physically or internally, Dino quickly ran after him and pulled him back.

"What do you mean? I am taking it slowly. Let go of my arm already."

"No, you're not taking it slowly. Walking does not equal running. Besides," the doctor pulled the young boy closer to him, letting it become a hug from behind, "you're not familiar with the hospital, anyway. You wouldn't know where to go."

"Uh…" Hibari looked down and tried to wrench Dino's arms away from his body with his hands. "What do you think you're doing? Don't touch me like this."

The older man closed his eyes and sniffed Hibari's hair. "Don't you like being embraced by me?"

Retorting, Hibari stomped on Dino's foot. "W-what are you saying?"

"Ow…!" The sudden shock had made the blonde doctor flinch, giving Hibari an opening to escape from him arms. "But your face is going red, Kyouya…"

"Don't lie; I'm just hot!"

Dino whistled. "Maybe someone's in denial~."

"Are you suggesting I like you?" Hibari could feel his heart beating fast. "Don't think you're special…I…I hate you!" He stared at the ground, not wanting to look back up. For some 'unknown' reason, Hibari felt that if he looked Dino in the eyes, he would be overwhelmed by confusing feelings, not that he wasn't already.

The doctor took a moment of silence as he halted his actions, then smiled kindly and walked slowly towards the confused boy, taking him gently by the hand.

The raven haired boy twitched. "Don't…"

"I know a good place around the hospital that doesn't have any crowds." He pressed his lips on the boy's hand. "Will you let me take you there?"

"…suit yourself…"

* * *

"Uhg, what the hell…" Hibari shielded his eyes from the sun rays seeping through the curtains as he woke up. He couldn't remember when he fell asleep, or what he was doing before he slept; at least for the time being anyway.

He sat up. "It smells in here…"

Shifting his eyes and scanning around the room, he searched for the source of the smell. Angered that he was not able to locate it to be able to get rid of it, he stretched his arms out and accidently hit an object with his elbow. He realised he'd forgotten to look at the most obvious place.

There sitting on his beside table was a vase filled with white flowers that glowed with a gold, yellow tinge.

"Don't tell me that guy…"

* * *

"_Where are you taking me?_

"_Someplace nice."_

"_How long are you intending to drag me for?"_

"_Ah, sorry…"_

_The doctor let go of his patient's wrist, allowing him to walk freely behind him. He slowed and turned around to look at the young boy, who had his head faced down to the ground the whole time. _

"_Kyouya,"_

"_What?"_

"_we're here. Look around you."_

_Hibari had expected nothing good to come from the place where Dino had taken him. However, he was taken by surprise. As he lifted his head to gaze at his surroundings, his eyes met with a magnificent landscape. A clear blue sky with drifting clouds, fields of flowers of all colours and sizes and most of all, the sight of no one but himself and one other being. _

_He was in awe at the sheer peacefulness and beauty there was. It was hard to believe that this boundless scene, which almost seemed like a different world, was just in the near vicinity of the dull and restricted hospital. _

"_Kyouya!"_

_Captivated, the boy failed to hear the older man's voice._

"_Kyouya?"_

_Snapping back to reality, Hibari answered Dino's call._

"_What?"_

"_Do you like this flower? It's a symbol of love." He held a red rose up to Hibari's face and smiled._

"_I don't understand what you're talking about." The younger boy glanced down, and a small flower growing nearby caught his eye. It was white, with a tinge of gold and yellow to it. "That one."_

"_Huh?"_

_Hibari pointed to the flower._

"_That flower…." _

"_Oh, I see." Dino crouched down and plucked one from the ground. "It looks beautiful and elegant; just like Kyouya."_

_Truthfully, the young boy did not personally like the flower. The only reason it stood out from all the others was it's absolute resemblance to someone he knew. His blonde hair and white doctors coat, the same colours as the flower. Everything about it screamed 'Dino' to him. Nevertheless, he brushed aside these thoughts and feelings he did not want to believe he had towards that man._

_Hibari turned around and started to walk back, not wanting to feel flustered for something he felt had an unknown reason. _

"_Ah, Kyouya, where are you going?"_

"_Back to the hospital."_

"_But…"_

"_I'm tired."_

* * *

The raven haired boy wasn't sure why, but he didn't feel angered. Instead of throwing the flowers out to get rid of the smell as he'd initially planned to do, he left them on the bedside table.

Unable to fall back to sleep, he decided he'd get up instead and try something new. Silently pushing open the door, he slipped out of his room and walked down the corridor.

All the better, since it was so early, there was very little to no disturbance around the hospital, allowing Hibari to roam around almost completely freely without having to worry about running into any kind of trouble; not that Hibari would be afraid of that.

Finally reaching the end of the hallway and looking at the sign indicating he was headed towards his destination, he walked up the stairs. There was also another sign that read 'staff only' – Hibari didn't give a damn about that. He would do what he wanted, when he wanted.

As he walked past the rooms on the upper floor of the hospital, he took notice of all the name plates on the front of the doors, searching specifically for one in particular. He slowed to a stop near the middle of the hallway, standing in front of a door which had 'Dino – Head doctor' written on it.

Just from peeking through the curtains, it didn't look like anyone was in there. Nevertheless, Hibari was not one to give up easily. He twisted the doorknob. The door creaked open.

"How careless…" As he let himself into the room, he noticed the desk light was turned on. The man, was, in fact inside his office, albeit sleeping on a pile of his work papers.

Hibari looked around at various things in the room. It was neat, clean and organised, a reflection of the doctor. There was a small photo album to the side of his desk. The young boy flipped through it. Inside were pictures of Dino and the Chiavarone family. From the quality of the pictures, the oldest must've been about 10 years ago. There was a single photo of a man who looked much like the current doctor. Hibari gathered it must've been the predecessor who was so dear to Dino.

The thought of someone other than himself who was extremely close to the blonde haired man put a feeling of discontent in the boy's heart. Angered at the 'unnecessary' feelings the photo of the predecessor put into him, he put the album down, and averted his attention to the papers the doctor was sleeping on.

They were half finished. Hibari leaned closer to study the man's face.

"Fool must've stayed up all night doing them…"

The raven-haired boy sat down next to the doctor's chair, out of Dino's immediate sight.

"He should wake up soon…"


	7. Chapter 7

**I don't own KHR~**

**a/n:** I'm extremely sorry about how long it has taken to update! I've been extremely busy in real life and it's not going to let up until a few weeks later. So the next update may range from 2 - 3 weeks. I'm very very sorry about the delay. Hopefully after that time period things can get better for me. Again, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and reviews would be lovely. Thanks to everyone for reading and hope to see you in the next chapter!

P.S: I'm sorry I suck at romance. OTL

* * *

_-clack clack clack-_

A pen rolled off Dino's tall stack of work papers and onto his desk, allowing a loud 'clatter' sound to be heard. The blonde haired man twitched, awakening from the noise.

"Shit, how long have I been sleeping for…?" He looked at his pile of work; then at his silver watch. "I better finish these off quick."

Dino stood up and pushed his chair back abruptly, looking for the dropped pen.

"Ouch…!"

The doctor jolted and quickly looked around his room. "Who…?"

Unable to indentify the individual that was in his office, he raised his voice. "Who's in here? I know you're somewhere; you can't hide."

"Can't you be more quiet? Herbivores like you are so annoying…"

"Eh?" Dino looked down beside his chair. "Kyouya? What are you doing here?"

Hibari raised his head slightly to look up at the doctor.

"…Nothing." He quickly turned his head to look in the other direction.

The man leaned down to get a clearer look at the boy's face.

"Could it be that you're here to visit me?" He leaned closer, "…perhaps to return my feelings that I whispered into your ear last time?"

The teen's face flushed over with a tinge of pink.

"That's not it! Saying such presumptuous things again…" Hibari stood up and avoided eye contact with the doctor. He never had any problem talking to anyone, but his words always came out a mess in front of Dino, and he found it hard to hold a long conversation with him. Agitated, he changed the subject to avoid further hesitation in speaking.

"…Those flowers, why did you put them there?"

Dino stopped to think things over; it took a short while before things clicked. "Ah, you mean those white flowers I put in a vase on your beside table?"

The raven haired boy glared at the doctor. "Yes. Them."

The doctor had a somewhat baffled look on his face. "I thought you liked them?"

"I don't. They smell bad and they're an eyesore!" Hibari suddenly grabbed Dino roughly by the collar, gripping it tight and hard. The blonde haired man did not seem fazed.

"Then, what was all the 'I like that flower' about when I took you out yesterday?"

The young boy stared intensely into the man's golden coloured eyes, applying a strained, irritated look on his face while doing so. "That's because they…"

Hibari paused, hesitating.

"Because they…?" The doctor placed his hand on the boy's, pushing it down in an attempt to relieve the pressure at his neck. His tone of voice had become rather serious compared to most of Hibari's previous encounters with him.

"Tch…" The boy threw the doctor back, and turned his body around the other way; a gesture of distaste. "Nevermind. I'm leaving."

"Wait." Dino placed his hand on Hibari's shoulder, pulling him closer.

"What?"

He grinned, a hint of slyness in his voice. "Why the rush? Isn't it boring in your room?" He tipped the boy's chin. "Is my presence really that much of a bother to you?"

Hibari felt himself heating up on the inside. _"Must be irritation..."_ he thought to himself. He pushed aside any other reasons which may've been the cause of this 'heat' he was feeling inside him.

"Didn't you come here because you had something to tell me?"

"Shut up."

"Stay with me a little longer, won't you?"

The boy slapped the doctor's hand off his shoulder. He didn't like it when people got persistent. "No. It's better in my room. I'd just be wasting time sitting like when you were sleeping before, since now you have to do your work, don't you?" He smirked and looked at Dino's pile of papers.

"Ahh…" The man's voice dithered, "Sorry I made you wait when I was asleep…"

"Whatever. I'm going back now." The boy proceeded to walk out of the doctor's office.

"You're more important to me than work, you know."

Hearing such a bold comment, Hibari stopped at the door.

"I don't have anything to do with you."

"It's the same as what you said to me before; don't deny what the truth is."

"I'm not denying anything." The boy hastily whispered words under his breath, but loud enough to be audible to Dino. "I…hate you."

And without another word exchanged, the raven haired boy promptly left the office, taking quick paces, not looking back. He felt flustered as he hurriedly walked himself back to his room, keeping his head down. As he caught sight of his room and reached out to touch the doorknob, it seemed further and further away the more he knew he was getting closer to it.

Finally at the doorstep and getting a grip on the handle, he opened the door harshly and slammed it shut. Hibari stumbled to his bed.

"What's wrong with me…" The boy placed his hands on his head as if there was something wrong with it, "why can't I stop thinking about this stupid guy?"

In a frenzied mood, he took hold of the flowers beside his bed that Dino gave him, opened the window and threw them out as far as he could. He left the windows fully opened, letting the room air out so the smell of flowers would disperse. He did not want anything in his room that would remind him of 'that man'.

The raven haired boy panted. The sudden attempt to 'cleanse' the room had agitated him and worn him out. Even so, doing what he did had cooled his head off, allowing him to think clearly again.

Slowly falling back on to the hospital bed, he sat hugging his knees, pulling the blankets over his legs. Closing his eyes, he softly whispered to himself.

"It's boring…"

* * *

"Why the glum mood, Doctor?"

Romario leaned over Dino's desk, looking at the Doctor who was passively twirling his pen over his fingers.

"Nothing…" He puffed his cheeks and made no attempt to look back at Romario.

"Come on, cheer up."

"How can I be cheerful when I have so many papers that are due in a few hours sitting in front of me?"

The doctor sighed. In actuality, he could have been over and done with the papers a long while ago, but his mood soured more and more over time, lowering his motivation to work.

"Do you want me to grab you a glass of water or some coffee?"

"Um…okay. Thanks."

Dino watched Romario leave the room, making sure their connection with each other was completely cut before resuming what he was doing. He leaned back on his chair and stretched his arms out.

"Ahhh…" he let a small pout form on his lips, "I want to see Kyouya…"

Sitting back down on his chair in an upright position, he fell into a daze, going over in his head the events that he had encountered today.

"_I… hate you." _

Those were the only words that appeared in Dino's head. He looked up at the ceiling, pondering over them.

"I guess I was too suggestive…or forceful…" The blonde haired man laughed sarcastically to himself.

He was saddened to hear such words escape from the boy's mouth. At the same time, he knew that such words were inevitable. The way Hibari treated him every time they saw each other seemed to be enough to convince Dino of this fact.

"This is probably nothing more than a one-sided love…and to have forced my feelings onto a **younger boy**, much less, my patient…"

He paused, taking a few breaths. "Ahrg, what am I doing? Gotta think positive…" Dino shook his head and slapped his cheeks.

"Right…! I'll finish these papers, then give a proper apology to Kyouya…"

It was late at night when Dino had finished all his paperwork. He walked past the corridor on the level below his office, looking around at all the doors to patients' rooms. The doctor's blue mood made it seem like the walk to room number 18 took forever.

When room 18 was in range of him opening the door, he raised his fist to knock, but stopped himself.

"What am I going to say…?"

He looked down at his feet, having no confidence in what he was about to do. Nevertheless, he mustered up what strength he had remaining and twisted the doorknob.

"Kyouya…?"

The man let himself into the room, cautiously taking paces, as if every step he took had the chance of setting off a landmine.

"Hey."

"Woah…!" The blonde haired man fumbled and fell back; he didn't see that Hibari was so close to him through the dim light in the room.

Regaining his composure, the doctor swallowed and spoke up.

"Kyouya, I have something to tell you."

The expression on the boy's face was rather blank, but Dino was able to tell that he was listening.

"Well, about before, when I was talking about my feelings…I didn't mean to…Kyouya?"

Hibari gently tugged on Dino's coat sleeve.

"What's the matter? Am I freaking you out…? I'm really sorry…I didn't mean to do that. Well, you said that me coming here irritates you that a room by yourself is more exciting than me, yeah?"

The doctor felt as if whatever he was saying was just trash in the form of words. He forced himself a half-laughing half-smiling look, trying to reassure himself that this was the right thing to do, and that this was what he should be saying. It hurt himself to know the words that were coming from his mouth.

"Since I'm so annoying to you, I better take my leave now, eh? Well, I'm sorry for bothe-"

"Don't go." The raven haired boy buried his face into the blonde haired man's chest.

"Kyouya, what are you…"

"It's boring…this room…"

Dino pulled Hibari close to him, embracing him, feeling his warmth. He had his eyes closed and face at the boy's head, as if smelling his hair, indulging in his scent, his presence.

"I love you, Kyouya."

Hibari closed his eyes. "Stay…"

"I won't leave you alone. Ever."

As the doctor pulled the boy in for a kiss, it was as if every single anxiety and problem he had was washed away. Whisked away into another world, it felt as if the night with Hibari lasted forever.

* * *

It had been a few weeks since Dino had established his relationship with Hibari. Even though the young boy would never admit it, the doctor knew that their relationship was very real indeed, without words such as 'I love you' being exchanged constantly.

Everyday, he would see to visiting Hibari whenever he had time to spare. So much so that it almost seemed suspicious how often the doctor disappeared sometimes. However, Dino never worried about that; all that mattered to him was seeing his lover.

Accidentally staying with Hibari too late one night, he hurried back to his office, trying to go by unnoticed. Too bad for him, he ran into Romario.

"Doctor! Where have you been? I've been looking everywhere for you."

"Um, uh…there was an urgent matter I had to take care of. Sorry I didn't contact you." A white lie.

Romario sighed. "I'm not in any position to question you, so I'm going to trust you. To the point, why did you hand these documents in?"

He lifted up a few papers that Dino had been working on yesterday.

"Eh? Why wouldn't I hand them in? These are Kyouya's check-up notes and info, aren't they?" The blonde haired man was perplexed. What was Romario talking about?

"Yes; they don't need to be handed in anymore. Don't you know?"

Dino felt a rush of panic run through him.

"No, I don't know what you're talking about."

"Hibari is to be released from the hospital in a few days time."


End file.
